(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a failure predictive system, and a failure predictive apparatus.
(ii) Related Art
As an image forming apparatus having a function of forming an image on a recording material such as sheet, a copying machine, a printer apparatus, a facsimile apparatus, a multifunction machine combined with the functions thereof, and the like are known.
In such an image forming apparatus, when a failure (including a fault or malfunction) which poses an obstacle to an operation thereof occurs, it is inconvenient for a user of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, there is a demand for reducing a time taken to be in a state in which the image forming apparatus is constrained from being used by predicting a failure occurrence in the image forming apparatus, and by performing a necessary process such as component replacement or repair before the failure occurrence or immediately after the failure occurrence.
Up to now, various technologies with respect to failure prediction of an apparatus such as an image forming apparatus as an object have been proposed.